Chapter 198
After Yu Xunge handed over the mahjong tiles, she turned and left, appearing to be just a simple owl who had found a lost item and returned it. But once she stepped out of the library and into the bustling street, she seized the moment to transform into a small bird, swiftly taking flight back to the library's eaves, peering through the window to observe the interior.
Inside, various owls and beings of different races passed by the consultation desk, and she waited patiently. Transforming into an animal meant she had interrupted her disguise skill, and she had to wait for the cooldown period to end before she could disguise herself again. Having consumed quite a few potions in the library, she still had three hours left on her cooldown timer, and she planned to wait it out.
As Yu Xunge kept her eyes on the library, her mind was busy sorting through the various pieces of information and intelligence she had gathered that day.
When the cooldown period for her disguise skill ended, Yu Xunge still hadn’t noticed anyone reacting strangely to the mahjong. Without any hesitation, she spread her wings and took off, darting into an alley. Emerging from it, she transformed back into the little owl named Qūqí, with a battered little bear cookie hanging from her waist.
She used the teleportation array in the city of Extreme Night to reach the southeast gate of Extreme Day. Once outside the city, she immediately shadow-stepped to the empty island where she had encountered the Mist Blade, seeking out the grocery store. The shopkeeper was still the same owl who had tried to buy the mahjong from the orc for five gold coins, named Xiāngcǎo.
The first time Yu Xunge saw this shopkeeper, she had noticed his talent—【Best Supporting Role】 (B rank).
【Divine Gift】 Best Supporting Role (B rank)
【Skill 1】 Sworn Loyalty: Choose a powerful individual as your target. You will never betray them until their life ends. Each time you collect an item they desire most, you will randomly copy one of their skills. The more precious the item you collect for them, the higher the quality and completeness of the skill you copy.
【Skill 2】 Fate's Plaything (Passive): If you lose or miss out on an extremely precious item, for the next 30 natural days, you will become exceptionally lucky. The goddess of fate will favor you, helping you obtain items even more valuable than what you lost. (Note: Be cautious with this luck; overuse may lead to greater misfortune.)
With this talent, Xiāngcǎo would willingly go all out to collect dominoes for the powerful, and those strong individuals would trust him to handle matters—though what would happen to him afterward was another story.
If she remembered correctly, she had intercepted Xiāngcǎo on September 20, snatching the 【Four Wan】 tile he was about to acquire.
Now it was already the early morning of October 85 in Blue Star, 25 days had passed, and she couldn’t help but think of this guy named Xiāngcǎo while in the library.
She had reason to suspect that this owl had likely overused his luck, which was why fate had summoned her… otherwise, why would she keep thinking of this stranger?
Considering the purpose of her visit, Yu Xunge took out a turtle jade stone before entering the shop and smashed a gold coin onto it. When she had dug out the mahjong from the seabed, she realized that wealth wasn’t solely represented by gold coins; all valuable items were “wealth.”
The moment she stepped through the door, Yu Xunge immediately used 【Happiness Again】 on Xiāngcǎo, reducing his luck to 1. She approached the counter, timidly pulling out the mahjong she had customized in Blue Star, and asked, “How much can I sell this for?”
The owl shopkeeper’s expression remained unchanged, but his eyes suddenly sharpened with anticipation. He reached out eagerly to take the tile, but the little owl dodged him just in time, which made him regain some clarity.
Xiāngcǎo hesitated for a few seconds, retracting his hand that had been hovering in mid-air. “...Forget it.” After a pause, he added, “Come back in three days; I’ll buy it at a high price.”
Xiāngcǎo’s reaction not only didn’t disappoint Yu Xunge but instead filled her with joy. The more cautious he was, the more it indicated that he had likely obtained a treasure, and he was now worried about the backlash of fate, which was why he was pushing away the domino that had come to him.
Moreover, from Xiāngcǎo’s pained expression and his words, Yu Xunge could already conclude that this shopkeeper, like herself, clearly understood the preciousness of the domino but lacked the ability to discern its authenticity without direct contact.
For instance, Yu Xunge’s four tiles, each from different sources, bore no visible information or descriptions, yet this plainness was their greatest uniqueness.
In contrast, the mahjong she had customized in Blue Star displayed a line of gray text reading “【Miscellaneous】 Mahjong,” and identical tiles could be stacked in her bag, while Zélán’s tiles could not be stacked—these were all distinctions.
The most straightforward way to identify a genuine tile was that even an A-rank skill couldn’t shatter it.
However, all these methods of identification could only be discovered through hands-on experience.
Unlike the 【Four Wan】 tile from earlier, which could instantly attract the Mist Blade, the moment she took out her bag, the latter’s expression had already relaxed, indicating that it could determine authenticity without direct contact.
Yu Xunge tightened her grip on the mahjong, her expression shifting from timid to resolute. She spoke softly, “I’m not selling; I want to trade. What does your master need? Dot tiles or Wan tiles?”
Xiāngcǎo suddenly raised his gaze, staring at the little owl before him for a long time, and then asked, “Where did you buy that little bear cookie?”
Yu Xunge’s heart sank. She didn’t understand what flaw she had exposed. Did the bear cookie have some mark? But she maintained a calm facade, forcing a smile. “You caught me… Yes, this is my disguise. So, how about a trade?” She opened her palm to reveal two dot tiles. “My master doesn’t need these; any other tiles will do.”
She wasn’t sure what kind of tiles Xiāngcǎo wanted; she could only take a gamble. What if the other party didn’t need dot tiles… then she would have to call Tùlán over to use 【Thieving Dragon】 to rewind time.
Not having extracted any information, Xiāngcǎo wasn’t disappointed. He weighed the pros and cons in his mind. “My master needs all kinds of tiles. What’s in it for me to trade with you? Are you willing to give me two tiles for one?”
Yu Xunge retorted, “Of course it’s one for one! What are you thinking? But I get what you mean; I need to trade with you. I can add some money, but I need to see what you have first.”
“I can trade with you,” Xiāngcǎo said, not easily deceived, “but I need to see the authenticity of the tiles in your hand first.”
Yu Xunge replied, “Sure, let’s show each other at the same time.”
“Okay,” Xiāngcǎo agreed.
The two owls, one large and one small, faced each other across the counter. Yu Xunge silently stood on her tiptoes, trying to maintain her presence without losing too much…
If she had known, she would have transformed into an adult owl. She hadn’t expected to encounter such a clever and astute owl. Even though owls generally cared for and favored the young, he wouldn’t let his guard down around a little owl.
Both parties slowly extended their hands, holding the tiles toward each other.
Yu Xunge discreetly tossed a soda can with her other hand, kicking it toward the corner just as it was about to hit the ground. Xiāngcǎo smirked inwardly, his gaze not even glancing in that direction…
In an instant, Xiāngcǎo flipped his hand holding the tile, retracting it and transforming his palm into a claw, attempting to snatch the tile from the little owl’s grasp, taunting, “Fool—”
Before he could finish the word, the little owl was already dazed. But in the blink of an eye, he regained his senses, and being well-versed in various tricks, he quickly understood the purpose of the soda can. He abandoned the noisy skill and opted for a mental attack instead.
Though he outwardly maintained his vigilance against the little owl, deep down, he underestimated this little creature who was still under level 8. This underestimation was something he himself didn’t even notice. Adults, having seen countless storms and schemes, often carried a hint of arrogance when facing children.
However, the next second, he began to drool.
At that moment, Yu Xunge had already jumped over the counter, directly pouring a bottle of high-grade sleeping potion into his mouth, her movements so practiced that it almost seemed like an S-rank skill called 【Mommy’s Medicine】.
Yu Xunge was also surprised because, at the moment Xiāngcǎo made his move, the little bear cookie at her waist transformed into a small brown bear, trying to protect her. However, the little bear looked confused as it watched its “little master” pouring medicine down the throat of the large owl.
It made sense; 【Jia Lai!】 could deceive divination and S-rank items, so how could it not fool the little bear?
Yu Xunge glanced back at the bewildered little bear, waved her hand to signal that there was no danger, and that it could return.
The little bear scratched its head, grinning foolishly, and obediently flew back to Yu Xunge’s waist, shrinking in mid-air until it transformed back into a little bear cookie, hanging once more at her side.
Yu Xunge dragged Xiāngcǎo under the counter, checking his condition. She found that the sleeping potion, which could knock out Wùxī for several hours, only made Xiāngcǎo sleep for a few minutes.
She cast another 【Ice Flower Seal】 on him and began to repeat what she had done to Wùxī earlier—practicing her skills from scratch.
Yu Xunge didn’t even bother to pick up the soda can in the corner; she simply stood on Xiāngcǎo’s stomach, attempting to steal the tiles from him while keeping an eye on the shop outside. Occasionally, beings from other races came in to sell items, and as long as the price wasn’t too high, she paid whatever they asked.
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